


Mechanical Lacerations

by SpaceShark0



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/F, Family Feels, Fix-It, Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 10:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10488870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceShark0/pseuds/SpaceShark0
Summary: BH-Q//0220//: priority target JS location unknown. initiate recall. standbyRA-43//0645//:target acquired. evac required. medbay prep.BH-Q//0646//:roger. evac deployed. updating nav point. standbyRA-43//0646//:out.It had only been 16 hours since the Reapers final cries echoed over the desolate London landscape, but to some, that was the longest 16 hours that have ever existed. It is a long healing process that will test the true endurance of humanity, and the galactic civilization as a whole; but they will rebuild and they will survive.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, thanks for dropping by and reading. Hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave your critiques, whether it be lore, grammar or just plot/character related. Thanks guys.

They were dug in deep, backs pressed against the wall while they were engulfed in wave after wave of husks and cannibals and god knows what else. The clattering of gunfire and the occasional pop from a sniper were drowned out by the shouting, and screaming of fellow Marines as they were torn to shreds. They were hanging on for dear life with no end in sight, and the morning had yet to break through the haze of smoke that ghosted the skyline. The gigantic, monolithic Reapers towered overhead, red flares from their cannons tearing into the earth and killing all that stood in it’s path. The ground shook and rolled in waves as it was battered from the never ending onslaught, and the air boomed with shockwaves.

Ashley ducked behind the flipped shuttle she was using as cover as a bullet whizzed past her head. She waited until there was a break in the firing pattern, popping her head and rifle up, unleashing a torrent of rounds, disabling a couple of husks and taking down the cannibal that had creeped out from under a pile of debris. She flipped her fire selector back to single repetition and continued to hammer rounds into the oncoming horde. Beside her Vega reloaded his shotgun and was receiving positing patterns from Garrus over comms, who was headhunting from the broken apartment behind them, waiting for the ‘go ahead’ to break cover.

It has been this pattern for the past hour now, take out the high class targets from above, clear the flanks and send out the shotguns to clear the front rank. They had no tech support, no biotics, just the sheer muscle power of the 43rd Regiment of Arms to hold the line. They managed to hold for a solid thirty minutes before the first man went down when a brute broke through the right flank, tearing multiple soldiers apart before it was taken down. It had been almost two hours now since establishing this position and it was starting to take it’s toll. They were running out of ammunition, exhaustion setting in as adrenaline wore off and the never ending waves of Reapers continued to push them back inch by inch. 

Vega and a few other marines charged from cover, guns blazing as the low thunks from the shotguns sounded. Inferno rounds tore through flesh and machinery, igniting it and spraying grey and black fluid everywhere. They made quick work of the front rank, diving behind cover as covering fire was laid down.

“How many more times do we gotta do this. I’m almost out.” Vega bellowed out as he vaulted a concrete barrier, and slide down to a crouch. He slapped a new heatsink into his Eviscerator, leaning his helmeted head back against his cover trying to catch his breath. 

“Not much longer. Look.” Came a muffled reply from his comms. “Oh crap.” Garrus said in surprise. Vega peaked his head over his the barrier, his own curse filling the numerous ones on the channel. 

“Fuck.” The sky ignited in a bright hue of red as energy pulses from deep space entered the atmosphere of earth. A loud boom echoed that shook his chest and made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

“Get the fuck down. Brace!” Ashley ordered, ducking behind the shuttle, digging her feet into the dirt, letting her slung rifle hang around her shoulders, bringing her hands up to cover her head. James followed suit, digging in deep and stealing himself, the marines around them also taking up shock positions.

A flash from the heavens, heralded by a fanfare of thunder and brass, the sky exploded in a red wave of crackling energy, engulfing all in its path. James’ chest rumbled, and he panicked as his hard suit’s HUD spiked and crashed in a loud beep. He could faintly hear without his external comms unit, the loud growls and shrieks as the Reapers were caught up in the blast.

It passed in a flash over their heads, kicking up dust and obscuring James’ vision. It settled after a minute or so, and with it an eerie silence filled his ears. The ground rumbled and rolled under their feet as the Reaper transports and dreadnoughts fell around them, their colossal metal corpses dropping to the ground. James sat there, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he tried to look around the dust that obscured his vision. After what seemed to be hours, there was no mechanical whirls or the pops of gunfire, the loud barrage of the Reapers main guns or the endless growl of husks. Just, dead silence. 

He popped his head over the barrier, bracing the barrel on the concrete and making sure the stock was jammed against his shoulder.

“Holly shit!” He exclaimed in surprise, coming to a stand and flipping the shotguns fire selector to ‘safe’. Around him other marines also cautiously poked their head out of cover, and lowering their rifles when they saw what had become of the horde. The ground in front of the platoon was littered with the mechanical corpses of the Reaper foot troops, the flesh having burnt away and leaving behind the numerous wires and internal steel reinforcements.

“What the fuck was that?” A marine asked as he prodded a husk’s skeleton with his boot. A couple of the other marines we also looking around in interest, but still ready to take up firing positions if any hostiles were still alive.

“It had to be the Crucible firing. Commander Shepard must have activated it.” Another marine said from his seated position on the barrier. Ashley strode forward, shipping her rifle, and yanked her helmet off.

“Form up marines, I want a headcount.” She ordered and the few remaining marines jogged up and formed into ranks, a couple hobbling over on damaged legs and other holding their middles or arms in pain. Garrus led the 3 marines down from their higher posts in the damaged building, sliding down the rubble, but looking relatively unharmed. 

Ashley counted the ranks, tracing the numbers with her finger and frowning; only 34 of the original 60 were left. She cleared her throat; “Alright. I know you are tired but we have to keep going. Until we get confirmation from brass we will hold this position.” She paused and gestured to the their makeshift barricade and various unmoving marines in hard suits, “Johnson, gather the last of our medical supplies up and start treating wounds. Hendrickson, Gill and Bromhead, find the dead. The rest of you help reinforce the barriers as best as you can, and check our ammunition. Valkarian, I need you and a comms specialist. Dismissed.”

Ashley stood back and watched as the exhausted Marines went to work, as she tried her best to stay on her feet. It has been eight hours since drop, eight hours of nonstop running and fighting and surviving. Tired was an understatement to what she was feeling; she was ready to curl up next to the barrier and sleep for a week. Not now, she mentally reminded herself, they had to figure out if Shepard had pulled through, had to know if they were finally able to lay their rifles down and cry to the heavens in victory.

“Williams,” Garrus said in his gravely voice, interrupting her from her thoughts, “I’ve got a man up the tower working on establishing communications but it looks like all systems are down at the moment. The blast must have shut down the satellites, we don’t even know if there are any satellites in orbit.” Ashley nodded up at the Turian and rubbed the back of her grimy glove against her forehead. 

“Guess we gotta do this the old fashioned way then. I need an amplifier or a high powered light.”


End file.
